In multiple family dwellings such as apartment buildings, mailboxes are often times located in common or semi-private areas of the buildings. In buildings which do not provide extensive security, mailboxes are often vulnerable to vandalism and theft. The mailboxes are particularly attracted to thieves when they contain money or checks.
Mailboxes for apartment buildings commonly consist of a plurality of compartments set into a wall and covered by a pivotally mounted face plate which covers all of the compartments. When the face plate is opened by pivoting it about its axis, it provides access to all of the mail compartments for distribution by a mailman. In addition, the face plate generally has a plurality of hinged doors with each of the doors corresponding to one compartment of the mailbox. All of the hinged doors, as well as the entire face plate, have locks which are generally operated by keys. The mailman is provided with the key for the entire face plate which is opened by him when delivering mail and each tenant is given a key for his/her own individual and private compartment.
When a thief suspects that a check or money is contained in a mailbox, he/she will frequently attempt to pry the door open through the use of a tool. Entry into the mailbox by use of such a tool is possible because the hinged door either overlaps or abuts the face plate on the side of the door opposite the hinges. The tool is then inserted in such a manner that the face plate serves as a fulcrum for the tool to provide leverage to pry open the mailbox door. Theft of a mailbox contents in the manner described above is a common occurrence in high crime areas of large municipalities.
It is thus a primary aim of the present invention to provide a mailbox which will prevent unauthorized entry.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mailbox which has doors to individual compartments which are not hinged.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a mailbox with a door which is not easily pried open.